Conflict can stem from various factors, such as personality clashes, communication gaps, different expectations, competing interests or unclear roles.
A fair percentage of leaders, especially in complex operations with a large number of employees and management hierarchy pursue the holy grail of decision-making by consensus. This improves the decision-making process and is extremely useful in a group setting, or for critical planning sessions during tough times in particular where no business will have ideal solutions.
Unless consensus is reached and conflicts emerge, either the team will end up in deadlock, where no further progress can be made or ‘majority rule’ will be used to impose actions, leaving the minority dissatisfied.Dissatisfaction then leads to sabotage of the activity and team performance. Team members who feel that their point of view has not been taken into consideration disengage from team goals. They may even actively try to prevent the team from moving effectively ahead towards the end result. No doubt, consensus- building is often the most effective way to make this happen.
Why is the idea of consensus in decision-making so appealing? Some leaders follow the fantasy that “nobody will be mad at me.” A leader’s wish to avoid conflict, or to avoid being perceived as controlling, mean, or power-hungry, makes consensus-building seem like a good approach. Sadly, every leader learns they must learn to tolerate making people unhappy and not being liked – at least at times.It might seem like consensus decision-making is more nurturing and that it’s past time for a change from more forceful, hierarchical masculine approaches. But arriving at a consensus is not the only way to avoid being a jerk as a leader or to foster a more collaborative and creative office environment.
Trust and respect
Trust and respect are essential to build a conflict-free team. They enable team members to collaborate, communicate and support each other. To foster trust and respect, you need to create a safe and supportive environment where team members can express their opinions, ideas and concerns without fear of judgment, criticism or retaliation.
In every social structure there is almost always a hierarchy of responsibility. Someone is the leader with ultimate authority.
This holds true even when the idea of consensus is highly valued and publicly proclaimed. Ultimately, this leader is responsible and has the final decision-making capacity.
The consensus building process can be experienced as a tease by team members, who feel tantalised by the idea that they are equal partners in the decision-making process but retain an awareness that they are not. Or, in some cases, the team members buy the pretense of egalitarianism and then are enraged when the boss makes a decision that is at odds with their position.
The principle of consensus easily encourages lasting splits in the ranks where two opposing groups concentrate on winning their position rather than solving the problem for the organisation’s overall benefit.
It makes people anxious. Imagine a military unit in combat, if consensus is needed before taking action, then what will become of it? This leads to no one taking the lead to take the business forward. Many organisations fight for months over “who’s right” without realising that there are two or more positions that are equally valuable and must be accommodated.
Dissenting views
Understand and clarify the true management structure. Who is ultimately responsible for their own areas? Who should have the power, authority and accountability to make a decision if the decision has a strong ‘business case’.
Allow managers to use their creativity and be accountable for results. Allow the decision-maker to communicate the final decision to all parties and explain why it was made, with special care to explain to people with dissenting views why their approach was not considered.
Emphasise that dissenting views are welcome and needed without conceding ground that minority opinions are just that. Acknowledge with some humility that there’s no absolutely right way to go and that there is an irreducible degree of uncertainty involved, but you made the best decision you could in the circumstances.
Consensus is not always possible and in all situations it is due to hard-held opinions and if that decision personally affects their comfort and using political power to overcome the opposing side enervates the organisation.
A wise leader must dismantle the twin fantasies involved — that consensus will be obtained or that power will work — and challenge the group to find ways to incorporate difference into its structure – the functioning and the future must be considered and as long as the intention is to sustain the performance of the business at difficult times.
Despite your best efforts, conflict may still occur in your team. Therefore, you need to develop conflict- resolution skills to handle it effectively and positively.
Gone are the days when you can reach a consensus for any decision in any field so you keep the end result in mind and move ahead for survival. Living with differences is the fact of life relevant to all – especially in the worst of times such as now.
